October 24, 2012

Going Behind Enemy Lines (Again)

I always get a bit squirmy when I hear Twelves get pissed off about fans of opposing teams taking up seats at Seahawks Stadium. It's not that I LIKE it when enemy fans infest our stadium- Shit, I'll boo them when they start making a racket like anyone else would- It's just that as someone who has been to plenty of Seahawks road games, I want to avoid being a giant fucking hypocrite. I view it as something akin to diplomatic immunity: Yeah, it sucks that foreign diplomats rack up huge parking fines when they are over here, but we don't want our diplomats overseas getting fucked with- Hooray for reciprocity!

On Sunday, I'll attend my 10th Seahawks road game (and my 2nd at Ford Field in Detroit), and I gotta admit it: I LOVE being the "bad guy." I love being part of a tiny, outnumbered group of hard-core partisans- I'm a contrarian fucker at heart, so rooting for my teams in hostile territory really suites me well. The flip side of this is that I also love rooting for my Red Sox at Safeco, and I plan to catch a Columbus Crew game at Royal Brougham Park the first chance I get... But that's a discussion for another time.

The Awesome stuff? I got to weasel my way down to the Seahawks tunnel,
and the Hawks seemed way more interested in coming over and talking to
us fans in Cleveland than they seem to be back at home games. I don't
blame them- I want them focused and ready for battle... but it really
seemed to excite them to see so many Seahawks fans come out to support
them. I got to shake hands with and monosyllabic-ally talk at Sidney
Rice and Pete Carroll, but the COOLEST moment was when Earl Thomas
noticed I was wearing his jersey. His eyes lit up, he ran over and gave
me an ENTHUSIASTIC handshake (almost to the point of hurting me). I was
just overwhelmed by the experience. Seriously, if you are a Seahawks
fan, find a way to get down to the tunnel during warm-ups... It can be
mind-blowing.

I also have my own personal rules of contact as a road fan:

-No drinking.
-No booing or jeering the other team, just cheering for the Seahawks.
-Don't start shit with opposing fans, but if you have to defend yourself, outsmart them.

I actually stumbled upon a great self-defense strategy at the Cleveland game last year: Sitting in the Family/No alcohol section. Compared to my previous experiences at Cleveland Browns Stadium, I was relatively unmolested sitting in that area last year. As long as I didn't curse around the kids, it was like being surrounded by little human shields- One dude a section over even yelled "If you weren't in the family section, I'd kick your ass." I yelled back "Thank you for validating my decision to sit here!" I'm doing the same thing Sunday up in Detroit. I guess this strategy wouldn't work if you really LOVE getting blitzed at games and letting off long strings of public profanities... But I doubt that many readers of this blog are part of that demographic.

Like I said, this will be my 2nd game in Detroit. Back in 2006 I saw the Hawks win 9-6 (yawn) on a Josh Brown FG as time expired. The environment was fairly sedate for a couple of reasons: First, Ford Field is a deeply odd NFL venue that doesn't give its tenants a big home field advantage. You know how the stands at Seahawks Stadium are RIGHT ON TOP OF the field? Not in Detroit, dude. The field feels miles away from the stands in Ford Field. Second, the Lions were fucking abysmal back then- The stadium was far from full, and the fans that did show up seemed more interested in getting hammered than the action down on the field.

I expect a similar dynamic Sunday, but for different reasons. The Lions' disappointing start won't help, but the bigger factor will be distraction- The Tigers will be playing in Game 4 of the World Series across the street just hours after the Seahawks/Lions game. From experience, we know Rams fans in STL have been particularly distracted/quiet/absent during Cardinals' playoff runs (to the Seahawks' benefit). Hopefully we'll see the same situation on Sunday in Detroit.

What about everyone else? What are your experiences at Seahawks road games? In my experience (going to games at CLE, IND, CIN, NO, DET, STL) Cleveland was by far the WORST place to watch the Seahawks, and St. Louis was the best (in terms of not getting harassed/made to feel like I was in actual physical danger). Anyone else going to the game Sunday? If so, hunt me down- I'll be in a new-school blue Nike Marshawn Lynch jersey (no beard though), and I'll probably be down by the Seahawks tunnel during all the pre-game stuff.

7 comments:

I have only been to one away game and that was in Arizona a few years back. I can't remember what year it was (maybe 2006?). Seattle lost the game but what I remember most is how lame the stadium there is compared to Seahawks Stadium. It was like I was in a non-descript living room watching the game. The stadium had no atmosphere whatsoever. Even if I wanted to get drunk and get in a fight I don't know if anyone down there cared enough about the team to oblige.

Yes, being the away fan can be terrific. I had things thrown at me the first time I went to Los Angeles for a Sounders-Galaxy game (thankfully none of the fans had good aim) and Being in Vancouver a few times the last two years for more Sounders matches was just as terrific (even more so since they are actual rivals).

Cleveland wasn't that bad. I went to a game there last year against the Ravens. My girlfriend is from B-more so I'm sort of a quasi-fan and we both wore Ravens jerseys. We tailgated with a friendly group of fans who shared food and beer with us. Sure we got booed a lot (and I think someone hissed at me) but I was not physically confronted like I consistently am in a place like Philly. Most of them just yelled stupid things like "Ravens suck" (funny, all those newspapers must be wrong when they list them in first place!). I would definitely go back (especially for the $60 hotel and $100 for 2 seats in the 11th row red zone).

I went to a Seahawks game at FedEx Field against the Redskins in 2005. It was the last game they lost before their magnificient run that season. If you want to feel good about the home field advantage, wonderful stadium atmosphere, and convenient location of Century Link, attend a game at FedEx Field in DC. It is a dreadfully boring stadium with no atmosphere, that is miles from public transportation in one of the few cities in the U.S. properly served by public transportation.

I recall the fans being astounded that the Seahawks had fans willing to wear the team's jersey. As if the Seahawks were not a "real" team.

I also went to a game in SF which was not as bad. That stadium is an absolute dump. That was the game Hasselbeck got knocked out and Frank Gore ran all over the place. It was the merciful beginning of the end for Jim Mora.

Andrew, I went to the same game. I remember seeing a few Seahawk fans, and I wasn't jeered too much. Fedex Field sucked, I couldn't believe how quiet it was. Plus, I had to use binoculars from the upper seating in the stadium.

Bank Of America Stadium, in Charlotte, is worse. I saw the Hawks lose to the Panthers in 2007, and the stadium was EMPTY. I was in the upper seating, and could hardly see anything on the field. The "Jumbotrons" were tiny, like watching a 13" tv from across a large living room. Not to mention that with BofA sponsoring the stadium, you would expect the vendors to take credit or debit...NOT. There were only two ATMs on the entire 300 level, to go along with that.

I would rather go to a game at Husky Stadium (before this remodel) than either of those stadiums again.

But I've been going to Phoenix every year for the last 4 years to watch my Seahawks play the Cards. Since it is a Divisional game, it is always a great game. A couple of years I have been lucky enough to score a parking pass and go tailgate in the middle of hostile territory. Usually run into some Seahawks fans and have a great time with new people. The Cards stadium is nice. I haven't had a bad seat yet, and the tickets are reasonably priced.

I've also been to Dallas twice to watch the 'hawks. Great tailgating atmosphere. Huge stadium. F'in huge. Both times we lost, so that sucked. Tickets are pricier though.

On the bucket list are trips to San Fran and St. Louis. Division games always pack more punch and make for a more hostile environment for this Seahawk fan to infiltrate.

Meet Your Blogger

I've been a Twelve since 1983 (and I haven't missed a game since then). I've been a season-ticket holder since 1997, and I've been writing this blog since 2008. My all-time favorite Seahawks player is Dave Krieg, and my favorite current Seahawk is Russell Wilson. Thanks for stopping by! -Ramona P.